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Instead of being lost to the game on retirement, wouldn’t it be great if we could retain players such as Stan Lazaridis, Hayden Foxe, Ned Zelic and Mark Bosnich so that our domestic players can benefit from the massive amounts of knowledge these guys have amassed?
It is good to see Ante Milicic being appointed at Melbourne Heart, and I hope my old teammate Carl Veart can progress to take control of the youth team at Adelaide one day.
It is a quantum leap from junior to senior football, and I feel that young players are shielded from some of the harsh realities of the game by the institute systems which instill a false sense of confidence. Some kids come out of these systems feeling like world-beaters when the reality is that they have achieved nothing in the professional game. Some home truths from guys who have been there and done it, not just studied a coaching manual in Canberra, would be welcome in my opinion.
While I am not denigrating the Australian game, it is true to say that the best coaching knowledge and teachings are in Europe. Therefore, how about the FFA identifying a selection of recently retired players who have expressed an interest in coaching careers and funding their development through a UEFA-based course? Surely this can only be beneficial in imparting cutting-edge techniques to our future Socceroos, and crucially, building a knowledge base within the domestic coaching ranks.
There is still at some clubs a sense of ‘jobs for the boys’, rather than selecting employees (particularly coaching staff) on merit. How can we aspire to produce world class players when we have coaches who have never coached outside Australia?
In addition to tactical knowledge, appreciation of key elements of the game such as physical preparation and nutrition are simply not up to scratch here. It is not criticising the Australian clubs – just stating the obvious that only five years into their lives and with limited budgets, they simply do not have the skill sets necessary to compete at the top level. The answer? Don’t just import knowledge - invest in ex-players fresh out of the game; send them to Europe to learn for one or two seasons. This will build the culture of football that is necessary to grow and improve.
There is no doubt the modern game has changed, whether purists like it or not. Gone are the days when a portly playmaker could strut around the centre circle with scant regard to his defensive duties. Look at Charlie Miller – a great player, but constantly maligned by pundits and fans alike as tubby and unfit, and now released by Brisbane Roar. In years gone by his appearance would’ve been laughed off and his record of goals and assists pointed to in support of his value. But with the advent of the beep test and the vertical leap, such days are gone.
The FFA’s obsession with the much-vaunted (yet rarely effective in Australia so far) 4-3-3 system requires significant coaching. It is complex and cannot be introduced overnight. The so-called ‘Ajax Way’ is a progression since the 1970s, not something that Guus Hiddink invented over a coffee and poffertjes in 2006.
Ross Aloisi is a former Socceroo and is part of Fox Sports' A-League team. Read his columns every month in Soccer International.
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